Thankful
by missy52061
Summary: Kate thinks about how much she has to be thankful for. I wanted to write something because I will always be thankful we had this show for all those years. Thank you to the cast and crew! Of course, I don't own Castle.


November 23, 2017

Kate knew it was a cliché but it was a cliché for a reason. She knew she had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

First of all, she was thankful that she was alive this Thanksgiving. After they both were shot by Caleb Brown last year, she didn't take this for granted. If not for his silly AI Lucy/Linus, they wouldn't have survived. They would have bled out on their kitchen floor, holding hands. But after they had crawled to be together, Rick had remembered about Lucy (she had changed it back to Lucy in gratitude after they got home), and he had told it to call 911. And they survived because of great doctors and excellent care. And rehab.

Ah yes, rehab. Kate knew it well. But this rehab was so much different than her first rehab. This time, she wasn't scared to death. This time, she wasn't with her dad or alone. This time, she wasn't in a rustic cabin in the woods. No, this rehab she spent with her husband. Of course, he was rehabbing as well – as he said, "We're partners in all things, Beckett!" – but she had his loving and warm presence beside her. They made each other do more reps so they could get better faster. He made her laugh. She made him focus.

And as much as she loved that cabin in the woods, rehabbing at their home in the Hamptons was so much better. In the beginning, they stayed in a downstairs bedroom (there was no way she could climb those stairs), but the room looked out on the beach. They had loads of books to read, DVDs to watch, and a pool to do therapy in. They had a nice bed to sleep in, and the sound of waves to help them nap.

Her dad had been a wonderful caretaker during her first rehab. But he had had to go back to work before the summer was over, and she spent a good part of that rehab alone. But this time, she had a family. Yes, her dad was still there, but this time, she had Martha, who sat at her bedside in the hospital when her dad needed a break. She had Martha to hold her hand and talk to her. She had Martha who held her while she cried because she didn't need to put on a strong front with her; Martha who just let her cry and cry and simply mopped up the tears and said, "You needed that, honey!" and that was that.

And she had Alexis. They had had a prickly relationship over the last few years, but no matter what, Alexis knew that she loved Rick. So it was Alexis who made sure that Rick's room was very close to hers in the early days and that they could actually share a room later on. It was Alexis who drove out to the Hamptons to get the house ready for them. It was Alexis who scouted out doctors and physical therapists and everything else they needed for rehab. And it was Alexis who stayed with them in the beginning and just took care of them. And it was Alexis who would simply say, "Good night, Kate" and kiss her on the forehead every night.

So here they were, a year later, happy, healthy and thankful. They were in the Hamptons again, Martha, Alexis and her dad asleep in their rooms. And the newest member of the family – six month old Lily Johanna Beckett Castle – was making her early morning wake up noises here in her bassinet in their room. Kate turned over in bed and saw Rick was sound asleep next to her. Well, he woke up with Lily at two AM, so she guessed he had the right. Kate grabbed her robe and walked over to the bassinet. She smiled as she looked down at her wide awake daughter. "Well, Lily, Happy First Thanksgiving! Time for breakfast, huh?" With that, she took her out of her bassinet, changed her into her turkey onesie (which made her smile, thinking of that Thanksgiving with Benny). She sat in the rocker, and fed her daughter and thought some more about how thankful she was. They were alive, happy, healthy and together. They had a beautiful girl who brought so much light and happiness to their lives. She knew Rick would say this was the best Thanksgiving ever, and she agreed.


End file.
